Yard MD: Expand gardening world by collecting and saving seeds

Oct. 31, 2013

New to harvesting and storing seeds? Try starting with something simple, like purple coneflower. The large seeds are easy to see and easy to obtain from the massive cones. Allow to dry, then harvest in late fall or winter. / Rob Zimmer/Gannett Wisconsin Media

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Post-Crescent Media

Harvesting seeds from daisy-like plants such as this blanket flower is easy and a great way to obtain new plants for free. Simply allow the flower heads to dry and ripen naturally into late fall and winter, then harvest the seed, dry some more and store in a cool, dry place until spring. / Rob Zimmer/Gannett Wisconson Media

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By saving seeds from your favorite annuals, perennials, vegetables and fruits, you can have next year’s garden for free.

And best of all, you don’t need to be a horticulturist or botanist in order to have great success in saving the seeds of some of your favorite garden plants.

Whether you keep them for yourself or trade with gardening friends and family, you will learn a lot about the plants you love most as you explore the world of saving seeds.

As most gardens in our area have now been hit by at least a little bit of frost, many annuals and perennials are ripening seeds upon their stalks, ready to harvest if you know where to look. Saving the seeds from your annuals, perennials and garden plants is a fun way to extend your gardening hobby, as well as deepen your roots in your passion for plants. Experimenting with seed collecting and storage also will give you a whole new respect for the plants you nurture in your own yard and garden.

For many annuals and perennials, it’s not as hard as you might think to gather, dry, save and store seeds for growing next year in the garden.

Be aware that the seeds of many hybrid varieties of annual and perennial flowers will not come true to type from seed. This means that, for example, if you are saving seats from a red zinnia, it may come up white or yellow next year.

This is especially true when you grow a large variety of flowers in your garden, as bees, butterflies and other pollinators visit several different flowers before settling on the one your seed came from. Melons are also particularly susceptible to hybridization. Of course, for some gardeners, not knowing what you will get is all part of the fun and excitement of gardening.

Open-pollinated vs hybrids

The best plants to save seeds from are those that are open-pollinated. In today’s modern world of hybridized and genetically altered varieties of plants, most flowers, trees, shrubs and vegetables can be divided very generally into two main categories: open-pollinated and hybrid.

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Open-pollinated plants are those that are pollinated by the same species of plant. This can be either through natural means or with human intervention.

Hybrids are plants that have been bred using two different species of plants that are each from the same genus. Normally, these are cross-pollinated under controlled supervision, though many growers hybridize the old-fashioned way and wait for Mother Nature to display the results.

Hybrid flowers, fruits and vegetables likely will not come true to type from seeds you save, so be aware of this. The new plants will have traits from one or both of the original parent plants. For some gardeners, this is perfectly fine. You never know, you may be the proud owner of a brand new, original hybrid never seen before.

To determine if your plants are open-pollinated or hybrids, check the seed packet or research the variety online. Seed packets and labels will often be coded with the letters “OP” to indicate open-pollinated. The letter “F” followed by a number indicates a hybrid variety.

In addition to garden flowers, fruits and vegetables, you also can save the seeds from conifers, ornamental and native grasses and trees and shrubs.

Here are some specific tips and recommendations for saving seeds from a few annual and perennial garden favorites.

Zinnias

Allow the seed heads to dry well on the flower stalks before harvesting. This can be weeks after a frost in autumn. Let the seed ripen on the flower head naturally whenever possible. Once ripe, cut the stems and shake into a pail or paper bag. You may have to use your fingers to pry the seeds from the central cone. Store in a paper envelope or vial that will remain free of moisture in a cool, dry place.

Another option is to simply gather a “bouquet” of dried seed heads, store in a paper bag in a cool, dry place, and then simply scatter in spring by breaking apart with your fingers as you go.

There are several popular varieties of zinnias that are open-pollinated, including the dwarf Lilliput series, the stunning Green Envy, the massive California Giant mixes and the State Fair mix.

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Marigolds

Marigold seeds can be gathered and stored in the same methods as zinnias. The seeds of marigolds are much larger and easier to handle, so collecting the seed heads and separating the long, thin seeds is relatively simple. The key when storing is to be sure the seeds are completely dry before storing away. Even the tiniest bit of moisture will spoil your seed.

Columbine, Delphinium and Larkspur

One of the most exciting perennials to grow from seed, columbine is a rampant self-sower in the garden on its own. However, if you wish to save and store seed, simply gather the ripened seed pods from the flowering stalks in late summer and fall and shake the tiny, black seeds into a pail or container. Store in envelopes or vials in a cool dry place. The seeds of delphinium and larkspur are nearly identical and can be harvested and stored the exact same way.

The most exciting thing about growing columbine from seed is that you never know what you will get. Columbine are often called “promiscuous” plants as they easily breed and cross-pollinate with each other to create exciting and mysterious new flower colors.

Coneflowers

Before saving the seeds of the many varieties of purple coneflowers, be sure you know what you have. Most of the newest, colorful varieties are hybrids and will not come true to type from seed. In many cases, the new seedlings will simply revert back to the native purple variety. Nonetheless, coneflowers are wonderful and simple plants to harvest and store seed from. Simply cut the spent stalks in fall and winter and peel the seeds from the large central cone. Store in an envelope or vial in a cool, dry place.

Shasta daisy, Black-eyed Susan, Blanket flower

Each of these daisy-like plants produce easy to reach seeds on large flower heads that can be easily harvested once fully ripened in fall. The easiest method is to cut the spent stalks and hang upside down in a paper bag, or simply shake well. You may need to strain the chaff, or excess plant material, from the seeds before storing.

Cup plant, Compass plant, Prairie dock and others

Cup plant is a giant prairie plant that resembles a wild sunflower. For each of the many prairie plants that are similar, such as compass plant, prairie dock and Jerusalem’s artichoke, simply gather the large seeds from the ripened seed heads in late fall or winter and store in a cool, dry place.